Local College Students Gain First-Class Work Experience at WWL

Newsdate: 19 February 2016

Students at Winstanley College, Wigan, recently gained invaluable work experience across the services we provide at WWL. Assisting on our hospital wards at different sites, the 22 students were with the Trust from Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February, the half-term holidays.

Dr Nayyar Naqvi, Consultant Cardiologist at WWL, was able to secure this unique opportunity for the students. As well as being a top-class Consultant for WWL, he is also a governor at the college and this enabled a strong link to be formed between our Trust and Winstanley College.

Whilst helping out on our wards, the students were able to gain first-hand experience of what it is like to work in a bustling, challenging hospital workplace. For some, this was essential experience as quite a few of the students have ambitions to apply for medical school.

To help them in their efforts, Dr Naqvi ensured that each student was assigned a named consultant, who would supervise them during their time working for us. Now their work is completed, WWL will make sure that each student receives their own certificate to commemorate their time at our Trust.

WWL Chairman, Robert Armstrong, also made himself available, despite his busy schedule, to personally welcome the students to the Trust and to gain an insight into their educational backgrounds.

Mr Armstrong was thrilled to have been able to help the students. He said, “I think it’s absolutely fantastic that young people from Winstanley College have come and experienced what it is like to work in a hospital. Their dedication and hard work has been very impressive at such an early stage in their careers.

“I would personally like to thank Dr Naqvi, on behalf of WWL, for helping to provide a valuable link between our hospital and the college.

“In future, if motivated young people would like to come to our Trust for work experience, they are very welcome. As part of our responsibility to our local community, we are very keen to assist local young people in their careers.”

Dr Naqvi was equally pleased with the way the week had gone. He said, “WWL strongly supports the students of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan. WWL is happy to give any assistance it can to help the students in their applications to university to study Medicine, Dentistry, and Veterinary Science.

“We expected the students to get a taste of what hospital practice is like, and to enjoy the experience. I, in my capacity as Governor of Winstanley College, will continue to facilitate this as long as I can.”